[Anti-tissue autoantibodies in malignant pulmonary neoplasms]

Tissue antibodies (Ab) were investigated in 85 patients affected with pulmonary malignancy of different histologic type and, as control, in 40 non-smoker healthy subjects and in 40 smoker subjects with chronic bronchitis. A significantly higher number of patients (64, 7%) had tissue Ab in comparison with both control groups (17% in non smoker group and 25% in smoker and chronic bronchitis group, respectively). Antinuclear antibodies were found in 29.4% of patients, antismooth muscle in 31.7%, anti-mitochondrial Ab in 4.7%, antityroid microsomes Ab in 4.7%, anti-gastric parietal cells Ab in 4.7%, anti-reticulin Ab in 11.7%. The patients at third stage of disease showed all antibodies as well as anti-nuclear more frequently that patients at first and second stage. Antibodies to cytoplasmic antigens were found in patients with anaplastic and squamous cancer, but not in patients with adenocarcinoma. Our observations suggest that immunologic abnormalities similar to those present in autoimmune disease, may be associated to pulmonary malignancy.